UHD Alliance certifies Ultra HD Blu-ray players
April 15, 2016
The UHD Alliance (UHDA), the inter-industry group charged with fostering the Ultra HD ecosystem and promoting the benefits of Ultra HD entertainment technology, has expanded the range of products that can bear the ULTRA HD PREMIUM logo with announcement of certification and logo licensing for Ultra HD Blu-ray Players. The ULTRA HD PREMIUM logo helps consumers identify televisions, content, content services, and now, playback devices, capable of delivering a premium experience to an exploding Ultra HD market that is expected to grow eightfold by 2019.
The UHDA’s ULTRA HD PREMIUM logo is reserved for products, content and services that comply with performance metrics for resolution, high dynamic range (HDR), peak luminance, black levels and wide colour gamut among others. The specifications also make recommendations for immersive audio and other features. These advances in resolution, contrast, brightness, colour and audio combine to deliver a premium Ultra HD experience in the home.
With 30 televisions already certified with the ULTRA HD PREMIUM logo, and many more anticipated throughout the year, the addition of the certification for Ultra HD Blu-ray players provides consumers with an easy way to identify products that combine to replicate the richness of life’s sights and sounds and allow in-home viewers to more fully and accurately experience the content creator’s vision.
“As the Ultra HD ecosystem continues to grow, the UHDA will continue to expand the breadth of ULTRA HD PREMIUM certified products and services to provide consumers with a single, identifying mark to seek out so they can purchase with confidence,” said UHD Alliance President Hanno Basse. “The certification of Ultra HD Blu-ray players is a natural first expansion, because the Ultra HD Blu-ray format was built with premium performance in mind and a growing number of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc titles released by Hollywood also bear the ULTRA HD PREMIUM logo.”
In follow up to the addition of Ultra HD Blu-ray players to ULTRA HD PREMIUM family, the UHDA is currently studying live broadcast of UHD content with an eye toward identifying key technical issues and developing a premium standard for live broadcast content.
To ensure products bearing the ULTRA HD PREMIUM logo are certified and conform to the organisation’s specifications, the UHDA has designated multiple, independent centres around the globe to conduct testing. The UHDA will provide certified testing centres with a specific testing protocol for ULTRA HD Blu-players. Companies throughout the ecosystem will work directly with these centres to have their products tested and certified.